Penguin & Tiny Shrimp Don't Do Bedtime!

by Cate Berry, Charles Santoso (Illustrator)

Overview

Penguin and Tiny Shrimp will charm, amuse, but never put you to sleep in this meta bedtime tale in the vein of Goodnight Already.

Penguin and Tiny Shrimp DO NOT have a bedtime story to share with you.

There are no soft beds or cozy covers here. There are fireworks! And shark-infested waters!!

This book will never make you sleepy. Not at all. Not even a little. . .

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062491534
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	05/08/2018
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	512,796
Product dimensions:	10.20(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Cate Berry is a seventh generation Texan, splitting her time between the kitchen and the living room. She is a recent graduate of the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA program in writing for children and young adults. She currently lives in Austin with her husband, their two children, and their kitten, Chopin. Although Penguin and Tiny Shrimp will try to convince you otherwise, Cate is an ardent fan of bedtime. Penguin and Tiny Shrimp Don't Do Bedtime is her debut picture book. You can visit Cate online at www.cateberry.com.

Charles Santoso loves drawing little things in his little journal and dreaming about funny, wondrous stories. He lives and works in Sydney, Australia. You can visit Charles online at www.charlessantoso.com.

Editorial Reviews

03/19/2018
Never mind that Penguin is wearing jammies and Little Shrimp a sleeping cap; the two let readers know up front that “this is not a bedtime book” and “we don’t do bedtime!” Relayed entirely through speech balloons, the story is propelled by Penguin’s flippant dismissal of bedtime rituals (“You won’t catch us with sleepy sheep or wishing stars”) and his diminutive sidekick’s snappy quips (“Sayonara, Sheep!” says Tiny Shrimp to a herd of sheep expecting to be counted). Debut author Berry revs up her romp as the duo evades with gusto, leaping into a sky illuminated by fireworks, running from a lion in the Serengeti, swinging from vines in the rain forest, and sailing through shark-infested waters. Animals from each escapade join the cast to expand the menagerie, and all stage a raucous sing-along that’s cut short by yawns and drooping eyelids—despite Penguin’s assertion that “This book will never make you yawn.” He’s likely right: the digital art from Santoso (Peanut Butter & Aliens)—highlighted by comical images of the wide-eyed, open-mouthed title characters—energizes Berry’s tactically understated text, often wryly turning it on its head. A buoyantly subversive antibedtime tale. Ages 5–8. Author’s agent: Alexandra Penfold, Upstart Crow Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Justin Rucker, Shannon Associates. (May)

Publishers Weekly

A smartly comedic entry in the genre of the anti-bedtime story, and the exclamatory dialogue-only text adds energy and humor. This will be a joyous bedtime read.

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

05/01/2018
PreS-Gr 1—This may look like a bedtime book but it's not, and Penguin and Tiny Shrimp want readers to know this from the start. They might be dressed in pajamas, have just brushed their teeth, and may even be bouncing on a squishy cozy bed but they have no interest in sleep. They don't have time for sheep or stars, they want to run and jump and play; their eyelids are heavy but they still want to tell jokes and have a party. In the end they fall asleep, just as kids might guess, in that big cozy bed. Considering the sea of bedtime books in existence, the plot and the text doesn't stand out all that much. The digital illustrations resemble colored pencil and are the highlight of the book. VERDICT An additional purchase for large libraries or those looking to add to their sleepytime collections.—Shana Shea, Windsor Public Library, CT

School Library Journal

2018-02-13
Can this quirky pair of friends stay up all night?Ironic counterpoint abounds in this humorous picture book, which sees the eponymous characters rejecting typical bedtime-book activities and accoutrements through speech-balloon text, as all the while humorous, expressive, digital illustrations doggedly present them. For example, "There is no room for toothbrushing and bath time in this book" exclaims Penguin, but a prior picture on the dedication page shows them brushing their teeth after tracking bathwater across the floor to the sink. Yes, the anthropomorphic bird and crustacean have teeth, and that's just one of the silly elements of this very silly anti-bedtime book. They also declare "there is nothing about big soft beds" in the book even as they jump on just such a bed. In a shift away from irony, they rejoice when fireworks suddenly appear to bolster their anti-bedtime stance. This moment instigates a series of adventures for the pair and an increasingly large group of sidekicks, all resisting sleep as they swing from vines, fly in hot air balloons, and so on. After introducing a "Uni-Hippo" (because, why not?), they insist, "One thing this book will never do is make you tired….This book will never make you yawn," as the pictures once again contradict the text, depicting the once-boisterous animals yawning hugely and heading to bed. A definite do for bedtime. (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews

Read More